Last night global web traffic rose a third above normal – peaking during the moving memorial service to Michael Jackson. However, it was nowhere near the unprecedented surge following the announcement of his passing. It was then that people clamoured to be the first to pass on the shocking news and fans descended into mass hysteria. It’s all been relatively restrained though – especially in an age when we get in a lather over any old Boyle, Goody or Potts. His ‘cult of personality’ seems no more extreme than any other. What’s more interesting is the fact that last night was further evidence of a burgeoning new era for the Internet. Thanks to the ubiquitous I-phone, Facebook, Twitter et al, consumers are becoming directors and disseminating information with much more immediacy than the TV networks. Most importantly, they’re putting their own personal spin on things. Something which mass media can never do. What about the question of ‘over coverage’ though? Yes Jackson did push much more important stories out of the limelight. But, like or loathe him, this was one the major cultural figures of our era – so perhaps, for once, all the fuss was justified.
